How To Be a Great Improv Comedy Audience Member

I believe that everyone should learn and practice improv comedy. (yes, that means you!). However, I am fully aware that if you are at an improv comedy show there is a much greater chance that you are in the audience than on the stage.

Though you are much more likely to be watching than performing, I am unaware of any resources to help people be better audience members.

Here then are seven “don’ts” to keep in mind when attending an improv comedy show:

(Note 1: If you don’t know what improv comedy is, it’s like the TV show,Whose Line Is It Anyway? It’s not stand-up comedy…)
Note 2: There are different forms of improv. I am referring here specifically to “short form,” where people yell out suggestions the performers use in games and scenes)

DON’T Sit There With Your Mouth Shut

You know what’s tough as an improv performer? Walking up to an audience, asking for a suggestion, and hearing nothing but crickets. You’ve come to see an interactive type show, so be willing to throw out a few ideas.

And don’t have the mentality of, “I don’t need to make suggestions because so many other people are.” The more options the performers have, the greater the likelihood that they will perform a great show. Which after all, is what everyone wants.

DON’T Try To Dominate the Show

It seems like there is always some guy who tries to puff up his ego by dominating the performance with his suggestions. It’s almost like he’s competing to be the fastest and loudest suggester. Don’t be be that guy. You win nothing by winning this competition.

If you have great ideas for every single game, that’s great, yell them out. But don’t try to be the first and the loudest every single time to make sure the group takes your suggestion. In fact, I say, practice a little self-control. If the group takes a suggestion of yours, then lay back for a game or two and let others contribute.

(Here’s a tip: if you find yourself getting frustrated because the improvisers start asking for suggestions by saying things like, “let’s get an idea from this half of the room” (the half you’re not in) or kind of don’t acknowledge your idea and move on to listen to others, you have officially become ponderous to them. It’s time to tone it down…)

DON’T Play “Stump the Improviser”

Some people like to come to shows and call out the most random thing they can in an attempt to “stump” the performers. The stupid thing about that is that if you succeed, the improv is going to suck. And then you’ll have to sit there and watch it. Why would you do that to yourself?

This is not to say that you can’t throw out unique and interesting suggestions that you really want to see. But there is a line. Don’t cross it.

Here’s something that the majority of improv audiences seem to miss. You have the opportunity to help shape and craft the exact show experience you want. Rather than yelling suggestions that might be funny and get a quick laugh from the audience (see the next two tips), call out suggestions that you want to see; suggestions that you think will make for a good scene or game.

The best rule of thumb: you are a part of the show. D what you can to help make it better.

DON’T Try To Be Funny

What most people who haven’t trained in improv don’t realize is that the best improv comes from starting with a simple premise and then letting things grow organically from there. Starting with a “clever” idea usually leads to nowhere.

So when asked for a location, instead of yelling something “funny” like “frictionless surface” to try to get a laugh (as my college improv group used to do), yell out basic, potentially interesting scene building ideas like, “medieval castle,” or “on a movie set,” or “a super-villain’s lair.”

DON’T Be Tasteless

Michael Jackson just died. If you go to an improv show in the next week, don’t make a Michael Jackson related suggestion. The audience will groan, the performers will not run with the idea, and you will look like the insensitive dumbass you are.

DON’T Repeat a Suggestion Over and Over

Every so often someone will yell out a suggestion that doesn’t get taken, and they then proceed to yell that same suggestion for every single game.

Guess what? If they didn’t take your “awesome idea” the first time, they probably won’t take it later. You can offer it up maybe one more time. Just remember, each time you repeat a suggestion, it gets a little less funny and you get a little more annoying.

The thing about improv is that it’s about being in the moment. The first time an improviser hears a suggestion, they are in the moment. Every time after that it becomes a little more pre-planned. Great improvisers not only won’t like that, but will also perform better if they don’t use an idea that’s been kicking around their head.

DON’T Throw In Your Own Jokes Or Comments While the Performers Are Performing

It’s tough: on the one hand, you are being asked to yell out and interact with the group. Then you are asked to not contribute while the game is being played. So maybe it’s hard to find that balance.

Get over it.

More than any other performance format I have seen, improv lends itself to people yelling things out and contributing their own “jokes” during the show. Resist the urge to do this! Sure you may get a quick laugh from the audience, but the performers will find you really annoying and you will be breaking the flow of the show. Yeah, they’re improvisers and shouldn’t be thrown, but when you feel the need to “contribute” by making your funny funny joke, you pull the performers out of the scene and break any momentum they may be riding.

If you want to perform, go out and join your own damn improv group.

DON’T Get Too Drunk

Drinking and comedy go hand in hand, and a drink or two may loosen you up a bit to be a more active audience member. That’s a good thing. But don’t get too drunk, or else you will be much more likely to break every single rule on this list.

The best (or worst, depending on your perspective) stories I have about annoying audience members almost always involve a drunk person. If you feel the need to get obliterated to enjoy an improv show you need to either a) go see a better improv group or b) go to an AA meeting.

DON’T Forget To Tell Your Friends Afterward

Ok, this won’t make the show any better, but if you really want to get on an improv group’s good side, spread the word! Most groups live and die based on word of mouth marketing. If you like show, tell your friends and come back to future shows.

Actually, it will make the show better. The more cool people in the audience laughing and giving great suggestions, the better the show is going to be.

And if you follow the seven rules here and get the friends you bring to do the same, the bigger and better the show will be!

Call out to my fellow improvisers: please post your additions to this list in the comment section below!